Balancing on one leg with forearm crutches, Indonesian amputee football players moved swiftly across a pitch in Jakarta, chasing down passes before firing powerful shots into the corners of the net.
They train hard every weekend in preparation for the national amputee football championship, which is scheduled for the coming weeks.
Among them is 26-year-old Agung Rizki Satria, who lost one leg in a car accident when he was only seven.
When Agung was younger, he believed his missing leg would grow back. It was not until he became a teenager that he realised the amputation was permanent.
“It wasn’t easy to accept. I felt uncomfortable with the way people looked at me whenever I went out, and I had to fight the perception that people with disabilities are incapable of living like everyone else,” Agung told Xinhua.
His life began to change dramatically in 2018, when he joined an amputee football group and discovered that the sport he had loved since childhood had a place for players with limb loss.
For Agung, amputee football is more than a sport. It is a community where amputees come together to share their stories, support one another and rebuild the confidence they once lacked.
“After joining the amputee football team, I met people who had gone through the same experience, and that gave me the motivation and confidence to move forward,” he said.
Through regular training, Agung gradually learned to keep his balance and use crutches more effectively on the pitch. Last year, he finished as the top scorer at an amputee football competition in Japan.
Another player, Sahata Sianturi, lost one leg in a car accident in 2016 and struggled emotionally before finding purpose again through the amputee football group.
On the pitch, Sahata not only rediscovered his passion for football but also found a place where he felt welcomed, encouraged and reminded that life goes on after losing a limb.
While Sahata continues to make a living as a mobile barber, joining the group has given him the opportunity to become an athlete and shown that people with disabilities can pursue work, succeed and contribute to society.
Head coach Arief Christian Toro said most amputee football players arrive with trauma, low self-esteem and fear of being rejected by society after losing a limb.
“We don’t just coach football. We also support players’ emotional recovery, instil discipline and help them regain confidence in their future,” Arief said. “We encourage them to believe that they still have the chance to pursue careers as professional athletes.”
According to Arief, amputee football in Indonesia has grown in recent years, with more players earning spots on the national team and competing abroad in countries such as Malaysia, Japan and Bangladesh. However, he said the sport still needs more funding and better training facilities.
For Arief, the greatest triumph in amputee football is not measured by medals, but by seeing athletes gradually overcome trauma, rebuild their confidence and find new hope for the future. Enditem
